Book holder



Oct'. 25, 1955` f H'. R. DlcKlNsoN 2,721,417

BooK HOLDER Filed May 29, 195.5 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR l-IEN FZY RAN DEL DICKINSON United States Patent BOOK HOLDER Henry Randel Dickinson, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application May 29, 1953, Serial No. 358,379

1 Claim. (Cl. 4582) This invention relates to a practical, effective, very useful and attractive book holder, which has been primarily designed for holding cook books, which may be attached to a supporting shelf of a kitchen cabinet or other shelflike supports. When not in use it is foldable back underneath the shelf out of the way, but may be very quickly turned outwardly and supported in an inclined position, it in turn being adapted to support a book opened at a selected position and hold the book in such position.

It is an object and purpose of the present invention to provide a Very practical, useful and effective book holder of the type described which is readily manufactured at low cost, is simple in operation and completely effective to carry out the purposes for which it is made.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is a perspective View showing a book in open position held on the book holder of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of a shelf to which the book holder is attached showing the holder folded and in inoperative position underneath the shelf.

Fig. 3 shows in perspective the several parts of the book holder which are used in producing it, separated from each other.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the dierent gures of the drawings.

In the construction of the book holder, a flat plate 1 at its outer edge is formed with a downwardly extending leg 2 which, after a short distance, is bent outwardly in a terminal horizontal leg 3 located in a plane parallel to the plane of the plate 1.

A hinge having two leaves 4 and 5 hingedly connected together has a length substantially equal to the length of the plate 1 and of the leg 3. The hinge leaf 4 is permanently secured to the under side of the leg 3 by spot welding r other permanent connection.

A generally rectangular plate 6 of flat metal is reinforced at its side edges by downwardly and inwardly, turned lips 7 extending lengthwise thereof. It at its upper end is permanently secured to the upper side of the hinge leaf by spot welding or the like. At its lower end the plate 6 is bent outwardly at right angles in a flange 8 for a short distance as shown, thence bent at right angles in a web 9 in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the plate 6, and terminates in a terminal flange 10 shorter than the ange 8 and parallel thereto.

At the lower end of the plate 6, including the channel section having the sections 8, 10 and the web 9, an angle member having two legs 11 and 12 at right angles is located. The leg 11 passes underneath the lower end of the plate 6 and is spot welded or otherwise equivalently secured to such plate, and the leg 12 comes against a side of the leg 10 and is permanently secured thereto. A flat bar 13 is shown located over the leg 11 paralleling the web 9 and is welded or equivalently fastened to such leg 11, though it is not necessarily used.

ICC

Such structure comprises an elongated enclosure open at both ends and generally square in cross section.

Within such enclosure, assembled therein before the attachment of the parts 11, 12 and 13 in place, a spring member is located having two coiled spring sections 14, one at each end of an integral connecting wire rod 15 which bears upon the plate 13. The outer ends of the coiled spring sections 14 have the wires extended each into a generally semi-circular or inverted U-shaped loop 16 which lies above the lower end of the plate 6, each loop at its free end terminating in an inwardly extending section 17. The two sections 17 are in general alignment, extend toward each other, each terminating in a small eye, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and bear with pressure exerted by the coiled spring sections 14 against the upper side of the plate 6 or against the pages of a book located on said plate 6 between it and such sections 17 as shown in Fig. 1.

The plates 1 and 6 hingedly connected together are provided with a folding, two-part bracing structure. One of the parts of the bracing structure consists of a bar 18 pivotally connected at its outer or lower end to a bracket 19 which in turn is secured by rivets or otherwise to and at the under side of the plate 6. The second part or member of the brace is a short bar 20, which lies alongside the upper or free end portion of the bar 18, and has a pivotal connection at its lower end to such bar 18 substantially midway between the ends thereof at 21. The two bars 18 and 20 have cooperating detents 23 and 24 which yieldingly engage when the bars 18 and 29 are unfolded and aligned in position as in Fig. 3, or when they are folded together as in Fig. 2. Outwardly extending lateral offsets 25 on the two bars provide a stop structure to stop and limit the unfolding movement to a position in which the two bars are aligned as in Fig. 3.

In use the plate 1 is securely attached by screws or the like at the under side and at the outer portion of a horizontal shelf 26. When not in use the plate 6, hingedly attached to the leg 3, may be turned to the rear and upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2 wholly underneath the shelf 26, being releasably retained in position by the cooperative action of the detents 23 and 24.

When the holder is to be used, the plate 6 is swung downwardly and forwardly until it is stopped substantially in the position shown in Fig. 1 inclined at an angle to the vertical. The book 27 is placed upon the plate 6 open at any selected position and the spring actuated members 17 will press against opposite pages of the book holding them open and secure against accidental or other undesired movement. When a page or pages are to be turned the book is moved above said bearing sections 17 and after the selected pages have been turned, the book is returned to the position shown in Fig. l in which its lower end rests against the flange 8 as shown.

The structure described is readily manufactured and assembled, is economical to produce and is very useful.

The appended claims define the invention which is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

A flat generally rectangular plate adapted to be secured at the outer edge of a horizontal shelf support and extend downwardly and forwardly therefrom, said plate at its lower edge having an integral channel portion extending outwardly from said plate, said channel portion being substantially the full Width of the plate, an angle member of substantially the same length as said channel portion having two legs at right angles, one secured to the rear side of the plate and the other to the terminal flange of said channel thereby completing with said channel, a hollow elongated housing open at both ends, rectangular in cross section, and a member of wire rod having an intermediate section adopted to bear ggainst said first mentioned leg of said angle member and, at each end, having integral spring coils which -extend outwardly opposite each othergtoft-he-endsofsaid housing, -.terminatir;g :in outwardly and :upwardly i curved sections :at ithe end portions of which are inwardlyrextending seotionsfadapted ftocome against the outer yfacegoffsaid plate fandlbe pressed thereagainst by yielding Spring pressure of said soils.

References Cited in the le of this Vpatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wheatley June 15, Campbell Apr. 11, Ruger Mar. 27, Chabon Sept. 16, Saecker June 3, 

